I haven’t been running very long. In fact, if you follow me on Instagram, you might have seen that I ran my first 5K just over a week ago. I started training for it in January or February.
But while I haven’t been doing this long, I started drawing a lot of parallels between running and writing. I thought I’d share some of those here.
Sometimes it’s hard…
Running: My calves burn. I can’t get enough air in my lungs. God, it’s hot out here. Sweat is stinging my eyes. My clothes are soaked. What the hell just bit me?!
Writing: This sounds so stilted. What happens next? Just. Write. Something. Oh God, not that. Delete, delete, delete. Will anyone actually buy this?
…And others, it’s easy
Running: You want me to run 40 minutes, training app? I’m going for fifty.
Writing: God, this chapter sings.
Build the habit…
The only way to go longer distances is to build up to it, with regular practice. The only way that book is going to get written is if you sit down and write it.
…But take rest days
Just like your muscles need rest days or different exercise between runs, I, personally, cannot write every single day. It overloads me. I need those days off in between to clear my head and gain perspective on the story I’m writing.
If you want to keep up good habits, rest days don’t mean that you have to sit on your laurels. You can try a different form of exercise– maybe the bike! Or strength training! When you’re away from your book, you can write a blog post, create some teaser graphic, respond to e-mails.
You can still make progress.
And, if you need it, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with taking a day or two for yourself to binge-watch, catch up with friends, vacation, or read a book.
Just make sure you’re not away too long
Like I said, I take rest days. But I have to be very careful not to let it turn into a rest week. If I take too much time away from my manuscript, it’s hard to pick up the thread of the story. If my feet haven’t put in the miles in a few days, I find my breath comes a little shorter and my muscles ache.
You don’t have to be fast
Okay, obviously there is some room for argument with this one… Some runs require you to keep a certain pace and, to some runners, besting their personal records is half the fun. Some writers can write fast, and write fast well, and that’s great!
But right now, I concentrate simply on finishing my runs. I concentrate on finishing my books and making them the best that I can.
Keep trying
This was hardly my first go-around with attempting Couch to 5K. I’ve honestly lost count of the times I got a few weeks into the program and didn’t finish it.
I’ve started books that will never see the light of day. I wrote three-quarters of Now and Again and didn’t touch it for five years.
But now, I’ve run a 5k. I’ve published multiple books, and Now and Again is one of them.
Don’t give up.
Finally…
You can.
I didn’t think I could run a mile. I’d never managed it before.
But then, I did. Then, I ran two. Then, three. And now, I’m two weeks away from completing my training for a 10K.
I’m contemplating a half-marathon next.
Sometimes the end of a book feels far. Impossibly far. But bit by bit, word by word, step by step, you’ll get there.
Leave a Reply